Christopher Columbus is credited with discovering the Americas on October 12, 1492. Many countries in the Americas, including the United States, celebrate this momentous event with a national holiday, parades, speeches and other commemorations. However, there is a growing and rather vocal group of people (particularly the ancestors of the indigenous populations) who believe that to celebrate such a man is wrong. Look up some of the opposition groups' positions and then, based on what you have learned about Columbus, make a reasoned argument as to whether or not any country should celebrate Columbus Day.

My opinion is The America people must calibrate this day, After what Columbus did to Native America, but they must calibrate this day, because Christopher Columbus discovered America this day. Many people calibrate this day . for example: the Italian people who lived in America, they loved Columbus because he discovered America and he was Italian .
So that is my opinion to America to calibrate this most important day in history.

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Yassin Abouel Seoud

10/9/2011 03:08:49

I find the fact Americans celebrate "Columbus" day is wrong. All Columbus did was enter the lands of the Indians, force them to do labor, kill many of them who disagreed, and start many wars. He brought many diseases such as smallpox to the Native Americans who were living in peace.
He didn't even fight for the lands he won, he had a clear advantage with weapons and it was easy to defeat the "primitive" Native Americans. When the New Laws for the Native Americans were passed, he didn't even follow them because he knew Spain was too far away to enforce them. He also made false promises to the Indians and treated them brutally.
Once again my opinion is that we should not celebrate Columbus day because he didn't really discover America, it was already "discovered" by the Indians.

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Mohamed N

10/9/2011 03:14:01

I believe that Columbus day should not be celebrated in America for many reasons. First of all, is it fair to credit Columbus for discovering America? Christopher Columbus never really discovered America, the Native Americans who were living there are the ones who discovered America. All he can be credited for is introducing America to Spain and the rest of Europe. Second of all, Christopher Columbus killed the Native Americans and stole their land. Why should we appreciate this and celebrate this? Columbus tortured Americans, stole and claimed their land. This is by no means a reason to respect and celebrate his day. Native Americans have a strong point, in which I personally agree with and respect. I would have respected Christopher Columbus and agreed in celebrating his day if he worked with the Indians and learned from them, but all he did was steal their land and gold. Even worse than that, he killed them. For all of the reasoned explained above, I do not think Columbus day should be celebrated in America.

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Osama Abou El Saoud

10/9/2011 04:37:12

I believe that the Americas was discovered far before Columbus arrived because there were already people living there. The term discovering doesn't mean that your the first person to find it, it means its the first time to find or understand it yourself. Example what if i just discovered that i was a human would i be the first one to know that, of course not, therefore i should not have a celebration after me.
Lets pretend that he actually was credited for discovering the Americas, he still shouldn't be celebrated because he wiped out a lot of innocent people and took their wealth. He wiped out civilizations with looking back in regret. Example the Tainos people didn't have enough gold, and he thought they were just hiding it from him, so whoever didn't give the right amount of gold each year, got their hands cut off. What kind of person does that. I would've accepted to celebrate his day if he went there to make piece and open trade with the Americas, not go and steal the Native American land and gold without giving anything in return. Also killing them after all of this. This shows that he has no respect for other civilizations other than his. I do not think Columbus day should exist because of all the reasons i have included in these paragraphs.

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Hana Kira

10/9/2011 05:22:32

On October 12, 1492 Christopher Columbus happened to reach America on his voyage to reach the East Indies. For himself and the Europeans it was a discovery when he landed in America, but really does that mean he discovered it, since it was already inhabited by the Native Americans? Two arguments are debated in a case like this, one is: “Christopher Columbus was one of the greatest sailors and explorers of all time. In 1492, he discovered the New World and linked Europe to the Americas. His discoveries enlarged the world and began a new age of exploration, therefore changing the history of the world.” And another is: “Columbus was greedy, selfish, racist, and a bigot. He was responsible for the loss of life to thousands, destroyed culture and exploited those he came in contact with. Columbus did not even find what he set out for, the East Indies, and for that alone, should not be glorified in history,” (sgsd.k12.wi.us). I personally think it might be a mix of both. Yes, Christopher Columbus did link Europe to the Americas which started an age of exploration, which is positive. But at the same time he also enslaved and killed thousands of Native Americans. In my opinion Christopher Columbus should have his name recorded in history books and be remembered for both the goods and wrongs he’s done; but he did not ‘discover’ America since it was already inhabited, and he should not be celebrated because of the way he treated the Native Americans after taking over their land.

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Malek Kassem

10/9/2011 07:56:06

Celebrating Columbus Day is an optional act. In my point of view I don't believe it is necessary to celebrate it. To be quite frank, Columbus didn't "discover" America, he just killed and took control of the people who originally had discovered it. His ways were very disciplinary, selfish, inhumane, and far from pleasant. If people consider it an actual day to celebrate, then they might haven't considered any of the previous statements. I wouldn't be celebrating a day of shere violence and death. And if I were part of the Tiano tribe, I also wouldn't enjoy people celebrating and parading around over the day my family died and everyone i knew was betrayed!
Just to reiterate my opinion; no, I do not think citizens of America should celebrate Columbus Day.

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Youssef El-Tawil

10/9/2011 08:04:25

Christopher Columbus an Italian explorer who sailed from Spain and discovered America. One of the oldest holidays celebrated by the United States is the Columbus Day. It is the day that Columbus sailed all the way to America. The question is, should we celebrate that day? Some people believe that Columbus didn’t really discover the Americas and it was discovered long time before he came. Other people think that they must celebrate this day and they must honor Columbus for discovering the Americas. In my own point of view I think people should not celebrate this day, because first of all Columbus was not the first to discover America, that’s why it is named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci not after him. Second of all when Columbus first landed in America he started killing, stealing and destroying the Native Americans. He took all their land without fighting for it he used his advantage in weapons, animals and items to conquer the land. Also Columbus brought diseases to Native Americans that didn’t occur before his arrival. Columbus did not bring teachings to the Native Americans, but he brought weapons to murderer them and steal their Stuff. He treated them brutally. So I think that people should not celebrate the Columbus Day.

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Abdelrahman Mubasher

10/9/2011 08:44:52

Many people strongly believe that “Columbus Day” should not be celebrated for many reasons. One point of view is: “Why would Columbus be given credit for discovering the Americas anyway, when those lands were already inhabited for thousands of yers?” Many people are convinced that Columbus never actually set foot on what is now the United States and that he only reached the Caribbean. Some people believe that Columbus wasn’t the only expert navigator; the Vikings and Marco Polo were successful on the seas many years before Columbus. Most history books focus more on Columbus as a hero and ignore how he murdered the Tainos and when the King and Queen of Spain put him on trial.
In my opinion, I don’t think Columbus is that much of hero to the point where any country should celebrate “Columbus Day.” Christopher Columbus is definitely an important man in history because he was active in exploration and improved the link between America and Europe. Still Columbus wasn’t a great person because he killed and enslaved many Native Americans after taking their land. It is important to learn about him in history like any other explorer, but he isn’t worth having a holiday ir any celebrations in his honor.

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Karim Fahmy

10/9/2011 17:41:55

I dothink that Americans should celebrate this day because even though, there were Native Americans that already live there, Colombus exposed it to the world. If Colombus did not discover it, then it would not be that developed now a days because no one would go to it and the British would not now that early about it, so they would not have colonies there. They would have been less developed like Papa New Guinea. The Native Americans did nothing there except domesticating animals. The Spanish conquered them and they left legacies there. THey taught them how to do a lot of things and they brought them animals, like the horse.

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Ahmed Agameya

10/9/2011 17:44:57

In my opinion, I believe that Colombus day should not be celebrated because the Americas were long discovered before Colombus arrived there, and the way he treated people there was just horrible, so I believe that the day should not be celebrated at all. The Taino people didn't even mean to give him their land, out of respect, they gave him a gold crown, but Colombus took it as a symbol of power, and not as a gift. He worked the Taino people ruthlessly, and if they didn't get him enough gold, he would cut off their hands. Only a rebellion started by a local tribesman helped get their land back, but other than that, they were tortured and killed. Why people still celebrate Colombus day? I do not know. If just the people knew what he did, and how he treated the real Americans (Native Americans/Taino people) then they would probably never celebrate Colombus day again.

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Farida Seif

10/9/2011 17:53:17

I don’t think it’s necessary to celebrate “Columbus Day” , or at least it shouldn’t be a traditional celebration. It should be a choice, if someone wants to celebrate it and believe in it then its fine for them to do so. I personally don’t believe that Columbus discovered America, America was discovered way before Columbus came. Some people do believe that Columbus did discover America; therefore they must honor him on that day for doing so. Christopher Columbus is responsible for the loss of life to many people. He is greedy and selfish, but I personally think there is no; no or yes answer to this question. I believe it’s a choice for everyone due to their own beliefs.

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Osama Abou EL Saoud

10/9/2011 22:56:50

Mrs. Smith I spelled peace wrong, I wrote piece instead of it.

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Chris

10/10/2011 02:51:47

I strongly believe that Columbus Day should be celebrated. There are many reasons why. First, since Columbus was Italian, his achievement brings happiness to the Italians. For thoae Italians living in America, this is probably the only Italian hoiday they celebrate in the USA. What Columbus did brings them pride, and they should celebrate their joy. I am not saying that Columbus did discover America, he just brought joy to all the Italians who celebrate this holiday. Columbus Day should be celebrated by whoever eants to celebrate it, because Christopher Columbus did play a huge part in the "discovery" of America. He greatly influenced the Americans that were already living there. He, along with his Spanish partners, introduced Christianity, horses, agriculture techniques, and culture to the Indians. It is true that he did enslave and kill many Indians, but was it really him that he was the one who committed all those atrocities? As far as I am concerned, it was the Spanish conquistadors that had murdered the Indians. Columbus was an Italian explorer who had every intention of exploring the lands. The fact that he did want wealth is true, and it is possible that he could have also killed a few Indians. It may not have been his intention, but he was probably blinded with all his greed. Therefore, I believe Columbus Day should be celebrated, because of the joy that the Italians have celebrating it, and due to the fact that Columbus had a huge influence on the Americas and Europe.

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Nada Kira

10/10/2011 03:58:25

I believe that “Columbus Day” should not be a national holiday. In my point of view those who choose to celebrate this day should have every right to do so. Having said that it should not be something that is encouraged or inflicted on others who do not agree that Columbus should have a day dedicated to him. The Americas were inhibited by people thousands of years before Columbus’s time. He landed in the Caribbean Islands with no intent of reaching there, or any idea of what he would encounter. Upon, arriving he discriminated, murdered, and abused the Taino people as well as stealing from them. As cruel as Columbus was he still deserves to be recognized for publicly rediscovering the Americas, influencing the religion, land, and people already there, leading the way for more explorers which led the country to become what it is today.

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Belal Aziz

10/10/2011 05:16:23

Columbus day should be a day of grief, not celebration, there is nothing to celebrate the arrival of Columbus to the Americas, why even celebrate it, when all he did to the natives was basically steal their land, force them in to labor , and used their natural resources as his own to benefit his country ( or at least his sponsoring country). if someone came to my country and made us all slaves for his own benefit, i wouldn't celebrate it for the rest of my life, the only reason people celebrate colombus day is probably because he was the reason to the changes evolving to modern day america, they might have been going a completely different path if he didnt bring in his new ideas from europe, which is basically the only thing thats good about colombus. the things he did are noteworthy but shouldnt be celebratory at all, because he did not make america appear out of thin air, he just discovered it was there, when it was there way before he discovered it. so in my opinion, learn in class yes, but not a whole day of celebration to his conducts.

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Selim Afifi

10/10/2011 05:24:42

I believe that this day should be celebrated for Columbus, as he is the one that really discovered the americas and landed there. Without him, people would never noticed about the americas till modern days. He did a huge impact to the new country he discovered because he brought with him many new things, such as animals, weapons and new ideas. Without his discovery i don't think the americas would be what it is now, instead it would have been a simple continent with very poor and permeative people in it. So i believe celebrating Columbus is the least thing they could do.

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Omar Younes

10/11/2011 01:37:10

I believe that this day shouldn't be celebrated. In order for discovery, you have to be the first one to actually see or feel or think about the mentioned thing.Christopher Columbus wasn't the first person to either see or think about the American Continent. Many explorers saw it before him and even wrote accounts about it. To add to that, he also treated the Native American, which were very kind to him and his people, with cruelty. He killed them and forced them to work in mines and on plantations. Celebrating Columbus day is a total mistake and they should change that to Amerigo Vespucci day, because he was the first to site it.

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